Wanted: Cool cats for Milford music gig

Their horns blaring from a Central Street bar each Wednesday night, Brian Thomas and other locals are breathing new life into the town's music scene.

Michelle Laczkoski

Their horns blaring from a Central Street bar each Wednesday night, Brian Thomas and other locals are breathing new life into the town's music scene.

Thomas and a trio of musicians fill the blues bar with upbeat jazz tunes, appeasing the regular patrons at Fat Boy Bill's Bar & Grill. As part of Thomas' effort to "create a little scene," the professional musician has teamed up with Fat Boy's to host jam sessions each Wednesday night.

"I was noticing a lot of venues, but nobody was really doing anything," said Thomas, who runs the jazz ensemble at Franklin High School. "There are a lot of musicians in the (Interstate) 495 belt, but it's too far to go to Boston or Providence."

Thomas, who moved to Milford seven months ago, said he started the jam sessions to revive the music scene in the area.

"There's a rich history of music in Milford," Thomas said. "It has died down a little."

Thomas' idea appealed to Fat Boy's owner Billy Laquidara, who opened the bar at 31 Central St. almost two years ago.

"I'd like to keep live music open as much as possible in this town," Laquidara said.

"Milford is saturated with too many chains," he added. "(Residents) need to support the local flavor."

Jam sessions serve as a forum for both aspiring and professional musicians to gather and play.

"Whoever you are, you can come and play with the band," Laquidara said. "It's a lot of fun."

Thomas hopes to attract local musicians, especially younger players who often practice but have no place to showcase their talents.

"I find there's strength in numbers," Thomas said.

Before the performance, organist Clift Spencer played Don McLean's "American Pie" at a customer's request.

Spencer, who pushes the organ pedals in his socks, is an advocate for jam sessions.

"It's a good place for musicians to meet each other," he said.

The jam sessions are often spontaneous performances, but appear to be meticulously rehearsed.

Before the trio started playing, Spencer and drummer Aaron Jackson introduced themselves and shook hands.

Minutes later, the three broke out and played classic jazz and blues tunes as if they had practiced for weeks.

Thomas attributed the cohesiveness to a "certain vocabulary" shared among professional musicians.

Players either know or can read about 500 of these universal songs, Thomas said.

The jam sessions illustrate Thomas' success in bringing musicians together. The group played at ease and carried on as Thomas adjusted his instrument. The crowd erupted into applause after each song, cheering "bravo" and "very good."

Before long, two saxophone players impulsively joined the trio, prolonging the crowd-pleasing experience.